There is a new hashtag roaming the social media circuits these days called #staywithsmall. It arose in response to the coronavirus pandemic as businesses across the nation found themselves shuttering their doors to shelter in place at home. Many of these businesses are our wholesalers, a segment of the industry that’s been seriously economically affected by our current reality. #staywithsmall has emerged to remind buyers that small businesses need our help right now and that shopping solely on big conglomerate sites such as Amazon doesn’t do much toward the greater good. In support of #staywithsmall we are temporarily turning our blog into a place to share profiles of small businesses we adore. If you’d like to be featured, contact us at yes@sergiolub.com.

Our first subject is a dear friend of ours, Jendala, a vivacious force to be reckoned with whose lifelong love of fire transmuted to an early career as a firefighter before forging her current role as a torch-bearing artisan. In her Healdsburg, California studio she creates beautiful up-cycled metal art gifts that touch the soul and offer positive motivation like her gratitude chimes that buyers can customize with words of their liking. The chimes, hung with bells, make awesome patio mobiles for the young at heart.

Speaking of the young, right now she’s offering special Kits for Kids, a perfect creative activity for children bored to death in quarantine. For $40, the kits come with supplies to make 4 chimes. Jendala likes the idea of making one for the self and then gifting the others to those special essential workers in our lives who keep things running smoothly at great risk to their lives: postmen, grocery clerks, and so on. Right now, she’s also granting 50% off at checkout with the coupon code HIGHVIBE.

Jendala’s love of kids goes further than simply selling them something fun to do. Her non-profit organization Heartizens is all about providing nurturing spaces for kids to build resilience through art, gratitude and community. The project-based creative learning program is grounded in empowerment, kindness, compassion, good deeds and clear communication. Stop by online (we all definitely have the time) and check it out.

It’s nice to know that there are people in the world who strive to make a living making other people happy. Especially in times like these when every little smile goes an extra long way.

The antimicrobial properties of copper have been touted for centuries ever since ancient peoples first wore the brilliant metal. Today, as we face heightened health concerns that run from chronic arthritis to circulating viruses, we’ve been asked to share a compendium of information on the topic.

1.

“Copper and its alloys (brasses, bronzes, cupronickel, copper-nickel-zinc, and others) are natural antimicrobial materials. Ancient civilizations exploited the antimicrobial properties of copper long before the concept of microbes became understood in the nineteenth century.

The antimicrobial properties of copper are still under active investigation. Molecular mechanisms responsible for the antibacterial action of copper have been a subject of intensive research. Scientists are also actively demonstrating the intrinsic efficacy of copper alloy "touch surfaces" to destroy a wide range of microorganisms that threaten public health.” Read more …

2.

Metallic Copper as an Antimicrobial Surface

“Bacteria, yeasts, and viruses are rapidly killed on metallic copper surfaces, and the term “contact killing” has been coined for this process. While the phenomenon was already known in ancient times, it is currently receiving renewed attention. This is due to the potential use of copper as an antibacterial material in health care settings. Contact killing was observed to take place at a rate of at least 7 to 8 logs per hour, and no live microorganisms were generally recovered from copper surfaces after prolonged incubation. The antimicrobial activity of copper and copper alloys is now well established, and copper has recently been registered at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the first solid antimicrobial material.” Read more …

3.

Rediscovering Copper Properties

Old records show that over 500 years ago, the Aztec civilization treated sore throats by gargling with a copper mixture. Earlier yet, in India, Persia, and Egypt, copper was used to treat lung diseases and skin conditions. In the 1800s, European physicians were using copper to treat arthritic patients. Research in the 1900s added the beneficial roles of copper compounds for mental and heart health. Read more ...

4.

Copper Destroys Viruses and Bacteria. Why Isn't It Everywhere?

"Today, we have insight intowhya person handling copper day in and day out would have protection from a bacterial threat: Copper is antimicrobial. It kills bacteria and viruses, sometimes within minutes. In the 19th century, exposure to copper would have been an early version of constantly sanitizing one's hands.

Since then, studies have shown that copper is able to destroy the microbes that most threaten our lives. It has been shown to kill a long list of microbes including norovirus, MRSA, a staph bacteria that has become resistant to antibiotics, virulent strains ofE. colithat cause food-borne illness, and coronaviruses—possibly including the novel strain currently causing the COVID-19 pandemic."

“Hospital administrators should take a new look at copper, new research suggests, with evidence emerging that the metal can halt the spread of a wide array of diseases. Long before Pasteur invented the germ theory of disease, copper, and alloys such as brass, were touted as protectors against ill health. While many such pre-scientific remedies have failed rigorous testing, copper has been demonstrated to be a powerful antibiotic. Read more …

The molecular mechanisms responsible for the antibacterial action of copper are still being studied by our scientists and we are not aware of research being done yet regarding the antimicrobial properties of wearing a copper bracelet.

Knowing the scientifically proven ability of the red metal in preventing the spread of disease, it seems reasonable to assume that wearing copper may help us deal with public health challenges.

Bridget, self-proclaimed "Cowboy Wife" at Cowboy Specialist in Missouri, says that "Cowboys love copper!" According to her, they often wear copper bracelets to deal with the arthritis that can be part and parcel of the outdoor life.

Our bracelets are sold in their Lucky Six Outfitters Store - a rustic, Western boutique that celebrates the handmade. The store is located right on the Jacks Fork River at the Entrance to the Midwest's Largest Trail Ride.

Cowboy hubby Ryan is a writer, rider, roper, saddle maker, leather craftsman, artist, business owner, teacher, ordained minister, and word and silversmith. In addition, he went to horseshoeing, saddle making and auctioneering school. He also has a degree in Agriculture Science, but his passion is horses and anything that has to do with them.

If that wasn't enough, he also hand makes his own copper bracelets. Bridget says it's nice having her husband's bracelets sitting next to ours with magnets--perfect complements for each other.

Bridget's style and sass inform a beautifully curated store inventory that includes brands such as Kimes Ranch, Made in America, Anderson Bean Boots, Rock n Roll Cowgirl, Cowgirl Tuff, Roper, Stetson, and Tin Haul. She is a hardcore fan of Twisted X driving mocs who teaches leather classes and lives in boots and jeans.

When the duo isn't busy running their store, they are out in the world throwing kindness like confetti, living a life philosophy we could all use a little more of ... Be Your Own Kind Of Beautiful...because God made you that way!